Samsung has been working hard on Bixby for the past few years so it can make its users switch from other voice assistants to its own, at least on it’s own Galaxy devices. While it hasn’t been able to achieve that completely, Samsung thinks integrating Generative AI into Bixby is the way to go.
What is Generative AI?
Generative AI refers to deep-learning models that can create high-quality text, images, and other content on the basis of the data they were trained on. Some examples of models using generative AI include ChatGPT, Dall-E, Google Bard, and other new AI tools. And now, Samsung is planning to join that list.
Bixby with Generative AI could be the next big thing
During its IFA 2023 press conference, Samsung announced that it plans to bring Generative AI to Bixby. This would take Bixby to new heights, making it smarter than ever before. Miyoung Yoo, Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Home Appliances Division, said, “All home appliances from Samsung Electronics have AI. Even water purifiers feature core AI functions. We will go beyond connected home appliances and allow home appliances to provide customised solutions by detecting customers’ lives and learning patterns.”
While current generation of Bixby can understand only accurate commands telling it precisely what to do, the newer Bixby would be able to comprehend complex sentences that could carry multiple meanings. This version of Bixby with generative AI could first come to Samsung’ Galaxy tablets and smartphones first, followed by its other products such as refrigerators.
The new version of Bixby won’t be as powerful as ChatGPT or Google Bard, Yoo confirmed. “When it comes to creating AI, we think of Chat GPT a lot, but we aren’t aiming for such a heavy service,” Yoo explained. “AI will understand the context of the conversation and communicate more naturally even if it is not a fixed command”, he added.
If Samsung does ship this version of Bixby next year, it would become the first major OEM to integrate a Generative AI model into the operating system itself. Samsung has already begun making use of AI with Bixby as it recently rolled out custom voice creator that allows Bixby to mimic the user’s voice for replying back to commands.
Apart from this, Samsung says it is working on Tizen RT, a lightweight operating system for the brand’s TVs, premium refrigerators, and other premium appliances that already have the regular Tizen OS. The company seems to be working on an MPU (Micro Processor Unit) that will be employed in all its home appliances in the future. It will allow the products to run Tizen RT and Bixby for Generative AI features.